stars tend to shine for a few years and then fade away which is a pity because they seem very ordinary once the fire burns away. look at ronaldo (brazilian) he looks fat and out of sorts and seems to have forgotten where the goal is. pity really.

I agree. It is what separates the genius (like Maradona) from the exceptional player (like Ronaldo). Maradona kept the inner fire burning in to his later years.

I think it is also just regression toward the mean. After someone plays their best, it's only expected that they won't be able to play as good after.

you are right and the life span at the top is very limited and with so much pressure to succeed each time, things are not going to go their way for too long. still its better to have eleven good guys than one or two superstars